00Qwaser
by WickedxBlackxCat
Summary: Qwasers. They work in pair. A pair is composed by a Strategist and a Warrior. It could not be any other way. Put a Strategist next to another Strategist and you'll have two women fighting about the most appropriate way of action. Put two Warriors together and there won't be any strategy at all, just corpses everywhere. KatjaXHana, AU.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Seikon no Qwaser and the characters in it.

Author's note: Chapters edited. I don't intend to hurt anyone's feelings, just in case some of you might find one or two lines offensive.

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><p>Qwasers. Nobody knows who they are, what they do, how they live, where the name comes from but, if you were to scream "Hey you!" in the middle of a crowded square, be sure a Qwaser would be the only one not turning around.<p>

Qwasers. If you're thinking "Yeah, yeah, old story. They're alchemists with the power to manipulate elements by assimilating Soma from women's boobs blah-blah." Funny, I thought that too.

Qwasers. They work in secret. Sometimes even the heads of their organization don't remember what team is on which mission but it doesn't matter, because a Qwaser never fails their task. Always clean jobs.

Qwasers. They work in pair. A pair is composed by a Strategist and a Warrior. It could not be any other way. Put a Strategist next to another Strategist and you'll have two women fighting about the most appropriate way of action. Put two Warriors together and there won't be any strategy at all, just corpses everywhere.

There are three top-rated Qwasers amongst the Athos' ranks, the coolest no-profit gonna-save-the-world organization ever. If there were a hurricane somewhere on the planet, be sure the butterfly which caused it would already be captured by the time you finish this period. And if you've still not noticed the lack of butterflies within the past years, you now know whom to blame.

As I was saying, there are three top-rated Qwasers. I won't tell their names because Mafuyu, Sasha and Hana said those are top-secret. Where's Ekaterina? She said this fiction was too bland to her taste.

Sasha is Mafuyu's partner. Hana prefers to work alone. She's been in different partnership because for every mission Athos' assigned her a new Strategist, but the girl's index was always faster than her partner's brain. Basically, she's been dumped by every woman she's been paired up with.

Things are different for Sasha and Mafuyu. The two Lovebirds are so into each other that it's like they have one mind split in two bodies (which is not good, despite how romantic it might sound). When Sasha entered the organization, Mafuyu was the only one looking after him. Maybe it was his look, maybe it was his behavior, more like a chihuahua actually, or one of those small sized dogs you feel sympathy for when you see them trembling on their legs and you just want to squeeze them and put an end to their miserable lives and… Anyway, Sasha soon revealed his potential, his abilities with every weapons and a particular attachment to Mafuyu's breasts. At first it annoyed the girl, but in the end it was only logical she would give in.

"I still don't understand why I can't go on a mission on my own." Said the twenty-one-year-old woman as she cleaned her nails with the tip of a dangerously shining blade. "I mean, this would be what? My fiftieth task? Yet, they don't get it that I work better alone. What's wrong with Yuri? Seriously, that guy is all talk, 'But, of course Hana-san, I'll see what I can do about it'." Hana went on complaining. "You know what he did?" She searched for an answer in Mafuyu's eyes. "A GODDAMN NOTHING." She slammed angrily her fists on the table in the cafeteria.

"Hana, you still haven't met her. Maybe this time-"

"Maybe this time what? She'll dump me before we even get inside my fuckin' car?"

It was kind of irritating to hear her friend blaming the others for her impoliteness. Mafuyu remembered what had happened with Hana's last partner.

"If you had just driven a little slower maybe she would still be here with us, instead of badmouthing you."

Hana glanced behind her back. Said girl was sitting a few tables away from theirs and pointing a finger in Hana's way as she whispered something in a guy's ear. Hana watched Mafuyu with a raised eyebrow.

"I really doubt that."

"Well, you can't go on a mission on your own because you're too impulsive." Mafuyu tapped Hana's forehead. "It'll get you in trouble."

Hana shook her head, bothered by her friend's attention.

"I don't care about getting in trouble. I just don't want to hear anybody telling me what to do. What's wrong about bursting into, massacring everyone, taking a relaxing shower after?"

"The part where you massacre everyone. Last time you even shot the hostages."

"Hostages?" She blinked. "What hostages?"

"See? You didn't even know there were civilians inside the building."

"Well, nobody told me that."

"Your Strategist knew it. You just didn't listen to her orders. Have you got any ideas how hard it is to clean up your mess? Or how difficult it has been to come up with a good explanation for the victims' families? "

Hana shrugged.

"I saved the world. Losing one or three lives is only part of the process." She blushed, feeling more culprit than she wanted to admit.

"Come on. I've never heard this talk from you. Just say you were wrong. You've never killed a civilian before. Remember that little girl you saved from-"

"Oh, I miss my Lily-chan so much." Hana hit the table with her head.

Only three months before the Qwaser had put her life at stake to save the youngest daughter of a wealthy family. Unfortunately, nobody could save the girl from Hana.

"Why?" Hana grabbed Mafuyu's hands. "Why did they take her away from me?" She asked with teary eyes.

Being the good Strategist she was, Mafuyu knew her friend was really sensitive on the topic. Reason why she approached her in the best way she could think of.

"Because you're a pervert."

"I'm not a pervert. I didn't do anything she didn't want to."

"I really doubt she knew what you were doing to her."

Hana pouted her lips.

"But I asked her, 'Lily-chan, can I kiss your-' mhh."

Mafuyu prevented her from going any further by shutting her up.

"That's exactly why they took her away from you." She whispered sternly, "I still don't get it. Why did they go so easy on you after they found you? A day of rehabilitation. A day, Hana?"

Hana smirked.

"It's not like they can do anything. They need me more than they want to admit. It would go against their interests to assign to others the tasks they usually entrust to me."

"You're way too overconfident. One day you'll find someone who'll erase that smirk off your face."

Hana grinned as she stretched her arms and crossed them behind her head.

"If she's one of those bitches I've been paired up with 'till now, there's no chance it'll happen any time soon."

Mafuyu took a sip from her cup of tea. As the liquid burned her throat, she stole a cookie from Sasha's plate. The conversation had almost made her forget about the presence of her eighteen-year-old partner, sitting beside her and flipping through the Athos newspaper.

"Something interesting, Sasha?"

"A nice article on breast enlargement. With pictures."

Mafuyu snatched it out of his hands and shredded it, throwing behind her back the pieces of paper.

"You know there aren't any articles of the sort in newspapers, right?" He smiled sardonic.

"And you know you'll dream my breasts for the time being, right?" She answered back.

Sasha opened his eyes wide.

"No, you can't, Mafuyu..."

Mafuyu dropped her eyes on her chest.

"Probably it's better for me, too. I don't remember them being this big before you-"

She sensed Hana's smirk and her partner's smug gaze on her face.

"Anyway," she switched back to their previous topic, "Hana, you were saying about your new mission?"

Hana felt a wave of rage. The thought of being teamed up with some Strategist she would hate from the very beginning and the nasty feeling it comported made her cheeks heat up.

"I don't know anything about the mission, just my new Strategist's name." She folded her arms upon her chest. "You should have seen Yuri's grin when he told me. I really don't understand why it seems to only bring him pleasure when I'm forced to do something I don't want to do."

Mafuyu exchanged a perplexed look with her younger partner while Hana went on rambling about how miserable her life was.

"Well, does she have a name?" Sasha asked.

"Can't remember."

"Jeez, it's a name, Hana. Even you should be able to remember two words." Mafuyu reproached her.

"Hey, I'm trying my best here. It must be something with '-rina'."

"'-rina'? Well this definitely narrows down our research."

"I'm not sure. Probably 'Katerina'?" She rubbed her temples. "I don't need a Strategist but an agenda with notes everywhere."

As she watched her friends, Hana saw them staring back in astonishment.

"What? Sounds familiar?"

Mafuyu looked at Sasha briefly, unsure if he had had the same thought. Her partner confirmed her doubt. She sighed.

"Are you talking about Ekaterina Kurae?"

Hana lightened.

"Yes, Ekaterina Kurae. That's her name. So, do you guys know her?"

This time it was Sasha who spoke.

"You mean, you've never heard of her?"

"Should I?"

Mafuyu lowered her voice and crouched over the center of the table, followed by her friends.

"Ekaterina Kurae," she whispered, "is a top class Strategist. Even better than I am."

Sasha continued for her.

"She top scored the final test, totally got 100/100 marks and commented it with a side note, 'A waste of my time'."

"No, really?" joked Hana.

"I've heard she made the examiners cry."

"I've attended one of her seminaries last week." Sasha told them. "She was keeping this interesting lecture about the importance of collaboration and trust between partners and-"

"Guys, guys, why are we whispering?" Hana asked out of clue.

"Because you don't say her name out loud." Mafuyu's voice was nothing more than a hiss.

"Why not?"

"Because, well, just watch."

The red-haired girl cleared her throat and took a deep breath. Then, in a higher pitch than normal she said, "As I was saying, Ekaterina Kurae!"

Everybody turned in her way. Hana watched more than a hundred pairs of eyes going from worried to scared within seconds. There were some whispers from the closest tables, few comments, some questions about the Strategist's whereabouts, but mostly the noisy sound of chairs being dragged over the floor while half of the population left the cafeteria for safer locations.

"See why?"

For some reasons it only made Hana dislike the girl even more.

"So, I'm gonna get teamed up with Ekaterina Kurae. What's the big deal? She'll dump me anyway." She snorted and checked her watch. She stood up. "Besides, I'm later than usual. I guess I'll see you around and let you know how the meeting went."

"Actually, we're leaving for Egypt in a couple of hours." Mafuyu hugged her friend. "You'll tell us when we're back."

"If you're back."

Hana nodded in Sasha's way. It was a ritual. Whenever the pair would leave for a mission, she would entrust her best friend to her partner. She knew he would take good care of Mafuyu, so there wasn't really a point in exchanging that look, but it was something they did naturally.

"Well, then, bring me a souvenir when you're back." She said already heading to the glass doors.

"Like what?"

Hana smiled deviously, turning around one last time before exiting from the cafeteria.

"I've never tasted an Egyptian-"

"ENOUGH!" Mafuyu threw in her face a cookie.

"Egyptian tea." Hana grinned.

The couple of lovers watched as the Warrior left the room. However, as they were gathering their belongings, Hana's piercing scream irrupted in the place.

"OH, FUCK!" She pointed at the end of the hallway "EKATERINA KURAE IS COMING THIS WAY, EVERYBODY."

Mafuyu could have never imagined the general delirium those words caused, but she sure could picture Hana's laughter as she walked away after having set panic into the room.

She spoke to Sasha, "I'm glad we didn't tell her about Ekaterina's age. Too bad we won't be there to see her face when she'll find it out."


	2. Chapter 2

Hana strode all the way down to the lowest floor of Athos' headquarters. The room she was heading to was called 'the Hole'. Nobody knew why, though, and if you'd ask Yuri he would walk away, laughing.

Since she had left her friends, Hana had been wondering what this feeling of uneasiness was about. Step by step she felt less self-confident while unfamiliar shivers ran down her back, making her discomfort even worse. She took a look at herself. Everything was tidy, from her military boots to her black jeans, to her white top. There was no point in feeling this self-conscious.

"Time to meet the top class bitch."

She knocked twice and entered into the office with no the invitation. It was quite big, but poorly furnished. One would not say there was anything at all, just a desk at the very far end of it with two black matching armchairs. Yuri Noda, one of the deviant minds behind this whole organization, was sitting at the crystal desk.

Hana walked with renewed confidence, never averting her eyes from the back of the other armchair whose occupant was silently waiting for her arrival. She caught a glimpse of two long pig-tails. She mustn't be very tall for a sixteen-year-old, she thought. It was only obvious that the Strategist had to be around that age, because a Qwaser receives their first mission only after turning sixteen.

"Ekaterina-san and I have been waiting for you, Hana." Yuri Noda said to the approaching girl.

The Strategist turned around and Hana met a pair of illegible blue eyes. Not that she cared about what was inside. She was too shocked to see her partner would be a little girl, too beautiful that even Lily's memory was nothing compared to her. Who was Lily anyway?

The auburn-haired Qwaser advanced with nonchalance under their eyes. She passed by Yuri's desk and walked to his restroom. She entered and closed the door behind her back.

Ekaterina crossed her legs and addressed her boss.

"First she keeps me waiting. Then, when she has the decency to show up, she has to pee."

"That might not be the reason why she has locked herself inside, Ekaterina-san." Yuri Noda smiled politely.

"So, she really is as I've read in her dossier, isn't she?"

The man leaned himself against his armchair.

"I understand if you want to call it off."

"I'm not saying anything of the sort. I accepted this mission and request the best Warrior. If she's the only one, I'll deal with," she shook randomly one hand, "whatever that thing is."

"Aren't you a bit raw? Hana isn't that bad once you come to know her."

"Fuck, oh fuck! YES!" As to confirm his words, the Qwaser's lewd scream made Ekaterina's answer die on her lips.

Yuri Noda cleared his throat while the Strategist did let a disgusted sound escape from her mouth. They heard the fall of water and the door opening. Hana exited from the restroom with heated cheeks and still wet hands.

"You're out of toilet paper." She said to the man, but stared at her going-to-be partner.

"I did not notice I was running out of it."

Hana didn't listen him. She darted to Ekaterina, dropped onto her knees and took the younger girl's hands in hers. Taken aback by her motion, the Strategist tried to put some distance between their bodies by shifting toward the opposite side of her seat.

"Hi, what is it doing a nice hole like you in a girl like this?" Hana smiled charmingly.

"What?" Ekaterina asked in disbelief as she pulled her hands back.

"I mean, what is it doing a nice girl like you in this Hole?"

"You know what? I might call it off." Ekaterina said plainly to the man.

Hana approved every single word.

"Yes, absolutely. Call it off, Katja-chan."

The Strategist gulped when she saw Hana's intense gaze fixed on her face, too close for her likings.

"Don't call me Katja-chan."

"Yes, Katja-chan."

"And don't 'yes' me if you're not even listening."

The Warrior didn't lose her mood.

"Ne ne, Yuri-kun?" She brushed Ekaterina's hair. "Can I keep her, please? She's so cute. Where were they keeping you away from me all this time?" She hugged the other girl tightly and rubbed her nose against her cheek. "Don't worry. Now that I've set my hands on you I won't let you go, Katja-chan."

Ekaterina lost her nerve. Before Hana had the chance to realize what and how it had happened, she was already laying on the floor, facing the white ceiling. The Strategist resumed her comfortable seat.

"Wow, can we do it once more?" Hana jumped onto her feet and knelt beside her partner again.

Ekaterina blinked incredulously.

"What are you? Some kind of masochist?"

Hana shook her head.

"I'm not, but I've never been knocked down before. It was a new experience for me." She explained delighted. "Come come, my little Katja-chan, let's do it again? Please, just one more time?"

Ekaterina did turn Hana's reality upside down for the second time, pinning her down on the cold floor. It wasn't funny at all on her part, but the girl was really annoying and, if it served to keep her quiet for a couple of minutes, she would do it over and over.

Hana smiled and gave no time to the Strategist to understand that she was already knelt at her feet.

"So cute, so cute." She licked her lips. "You can call me Onee-sama, Katja-chan."

Ekaterina rolled her eyes.

"There's no way I'm ever going to call you that, pervert."

Her words seemed to put an end to Hana's euphoric mood.

"I'm not a pervert, Katja-chan."

"And I'm not your Katja-chan, pervert."

"It seems the two of you will get along quite well." Yuri Noda interrupted them. "But this fiction won't revolve around your little love quarrels. We have to save the world." He concluded solemnly.

Hana stared at him, listening, reasoning about the importance of his words, about the hard mission they had to accomplish. Thinking about-

"Can I smell your flower, Katja-chan?"

Ekaterina ignored her and grabbed the dossier with the information they needed from the desk.

"We don't know much about the Adepts. Our agents have gathered different information about the possible locations of their headquarters, but who they are and how they're organized is still a mystery."

Ekaterina read in her mind the poor data summed up in those papers and nodded, trying to put the pieces together and find a place where to start their research. Yuri continued with his explanation.

"There have been suspicious movements in Thailand, but we have good reasons to believe it might be-"

"A cover?" The Strategist didn't even raise her eyes from the dossier. _No, it wouldn't make any sense with the abnormal activity registered in other countries. Still-_

"So cool! 'A cover'." Hana repeated her words. "It was perfect, Katja-chan. Your tone, your timing, your expression. Can we skip the part where we save the world and get straight to where we roll over my bed in a tangle of sweaty limbs?" She rubbed her face against the armchair.

"We can't."

"Why not?"

"Because it wouldn't make any sense for me to have sex with you if we don't save the world first. How can you conquer my heart if you don't show me that you're not a beast of lust, but there's also a romantic side of you? That you think before shooting? Not to mention the part where you save my life."

"Do I really have to do all those things to get laid? It'd be a waste of precious energies."

"Don't worry, pervert, I won't sleep with you anyway. I like men."

Hana felt something was really wrong in the last sentence.

"Say it again?"

"Don't wor-"

"The last part."

"I like men."

The older Qwaser checked her script. She was sure that line wasn't there when she had read it. Instead, there it was.

EKATERINA

Don't worry, pervert, I won't sleep with you anyway. _I like men._

"Fuckin' author!" She yelled. "Changing the screenplay without consulting me."

Ekaterina was of the same opinion. Kind of.

"This is funny, I should be mad too but I don't feel like it. If my character says she likes men, and I am my character, basically I like men and I shouldn't be complaining the fact that I like men. Well then," she shrugged, "I like men."

Hana stood up and aimed a finger in her way.

"I'm gonna change you back. I swear, Katja-chan."

"Where are you going?" Ekaterina stared at her leaving back.

"To the armory!" Hana barked as she kicked the doors open. "I'll destroy the world myself if I can't accomplish my own quest."

Once the girl was out of sight, Yuri Noda went to take Hana's script from the floor. He found what he was looking for.

"It's pretty interesting that this line appears only in her script, Ekaterina-san." He spoke casually to his youngest agent. "And if I'm not wrong, this looks like your handwriting."

Ekaterina organized the folder with the dossier and jumped off the armchair.

"She seems a pretty interesting mammal."

"Even if you've heard how troublesome she can be on mission?"

"Telling her that I like men would calm her down for the time being. You've seen how she went off ready to start our task, haven't you?"

Yuri Noda observed the smaller girl following her partner's route.

"Are you sure you don't need any further information, Ekaterina-san?" He grinned, knowing the answer already.

"I've got it all here." She raised the hand with the folder.

"Good luck with Hana."

Ekaterina turned around with a smirk.

"You know what they say about women and luck, Yuri?"

The man shook his head.

"Every woman sits on her own luck. You just need a brain to put it to good use."


	3. Chapter 3

"Ah, Paris! Le Ville Lumière."

If there were somebody who would never catch the beauty of the city, that person would be Hana. She actually didn't even understand Ekaterina's sudden decision to go on a trip to Europe and, frankly, she didn't give a shit as long as she could ogle her ass swaying several feet in front of her.

"Katja-chan?" She observed her surroundings and some pedestrians nearby.

"Oui, pervert?"

"Why did we come here?"

Ekaterina halted in her tracks and counted to ten to suppress the new wave of anger her question brought to her mind. Why did they come here? The memory of what had happened in Thailand was still fresh after a couple of days and Hana's always cheerful mood only risked to make her lose her temper.

"Because you blasted off the building supposed to supply us with some precious information."

Hana sped up her pace and joined her partner.

"Come on, Katja-chan." She smiled. "You're still mad at me? I misunderstood your words. I've already apologized. Here," she pulled out of her blue jeans something, "there's a candy for you if you give me just. A. Small. Kiss." She bent forward and closed her eyes.

Ekaterina grasped the sweet from her hand and threw it into the Seine from the bridge of Der-Hakeim. She stepped violently onto one of the other girl's feet. Of course, the military boots had the tip reinforced with iron, but Hana thought it would be best to keep her mouth shut.

"What was there to misunderstand when I said, 'Ok, here's the plan.'?"

Hana watched particularly involved Ekaterina's flashback blowing out of her head.

They were in a pluvial forest, eaten alive by mosquitoes and watching through their binoculars the movements of the enemy inside its base. It was a small complex, perfectly camouflaged with the vegetation. In fact, if it hadn't been for the electromagnetic waves Ekaterina's special radar had caught, they would have never been able to find it. Her first outdoor mission and she was laying in mud and dirt, sweating because of the hot temperatures, with her hair stuck everywhere, smelling, irritated and above all in company of the worse Qwaser she had ever met. The young Strategist spoke as she peered at their target.

"According to my data, every base has its own disk with the codes we need to decipher their encrypted messages." She turned to Hana to see if she had her attention. And she had it all because said girl was laying supine, facing her and pointing her own binoculars at her face.

"You've got a blackhead on your right nostril, Katja-chan."

Ekaterina snatched the binoculars from her hands. Hana cuddled closer. Frankly, she had thought that telling the auburn-haired girl she was interested in men would cool down her libido. Instead, after a couple of hours, the older Qwaser had already forgotten her words.

"Will you sleep with me if I save the world?"

"I'm never going to sleep with you."

Hana crossed her arms behind her head, trying to catch a glimpse of the sky throughout the thick vegetation.

''Then," she dared, "will you give me a peck if I do my best?''

It wasn't something she would expect from this lustful woman, but a peck in exchange for a better behavior sounded a nice deal. She would call back her word later.

"I might give you a peck, if you'll be a good girl, pervert."

She had never seen someone brightening for a promise this inconsistent, but Hana smiled happily.

"OH, KATJA-MMHH!"

Ekaterina covered her mouth because she was being too loud.

"Quit it." She hissed, "And hear me out."

Hana nodded, ready to pay attention for the very first time to a Strategist's command. Ekaterina peered back at the structure whose only entrance was provided with the security of two armed soldiers.

"I want you to destroy everything, don't leave a trace behind. But before you-"

Too late. Blinking twice, she saw Hana running crazily toward the building, screaming 'Banzai' very subtly with a pair of armed RPG-7 bazookas on both of her shoulders which, to Ekaterina, looked as if they were light as feathers. Of course, she knew better. The Strategist watched the scene taking place under of her eyes, feeling impotent as she had never been.

Hana jumped in the small clearing, pointing her weapons at the pair of shocked guards. The poor men didn't have time to respond to the invader's attack because two missiles were already flying toward the main door. With a blast, the front of the building was reduced to rubbles. Ekaterina was still convincing herself that it wasn't happening.

Hana could not have been any happier. Finally somebody who told her exactly what she wanted to hear. "Destroy everything!", she repeated herself as she dropped the bazookas and extracted from the sheaths her inseparable guns. She smiled in Ekaterina's way, waving a hand.

"WATCH ME, KATJA-CHAN, I'LL REDUCE THIS PLACE IN A CRATER FOR YOU!" And on second thought, "I WOULDN'T MIND IF YOU SHOWED ME YOURS AFTER."

She then disappeared inside the structure while the sounds of shots and bullets, mixed with screams of terror and pain, reached Ekaterina's ears. Several explosions broke the silence of that uncontaminated piece of earth. The Strategist stared at the building surrounded by flames. There were men running in all directions, some of them even jumped out of the windows to save their lives. Sadly, they didn't have any chance against Hana's bullets which killed them in the middle of the forest.

Not even five minutes had passed since the Qwaser had irrupted into the place that Ekaterina saw Hana running outside, throwing behind her back two things that looked like-

"GRENADES!" The Strategist screamed to nobody and knelt down, putting her hands on her ears and closing her eyes.

A violent explosion made the land tremble, and a strong wind shook Ekaterina's hair, covering her in dust. She stood up after the wind had ceased down, coughing energetically to free her lungs. There was nothing left anymore. Just as Hana had said, a big crater.

It wasn't possible two grenades would ever do such a damage, but the girl had launched them because it would make her heroic act cooler than it was. In reality, she had placed four C-4 bombs inside the building, between a killing and another.

The Warrior watched her masterpiece with a satisfied smile, not even deep breathing. It had been a walk, seriously.

"Katja-chan's gonna be so proud of me." She sang to herself, turning victoriously to her partner.

In that same moment, somebody shot her. Hana caught the bullet with her fingers before it hit her forehead. She screamed immediately after, "KATJA-CHAN, THERE'S STILL SOMEONE ALIVE." She took and armed her bazooka with a smooth motion, rotating the weapon when it was armed "BUT DON'T WORRY. I WON'T LET ANYBODY LAY A FINGER ON YOU BEFORE ME."

If she had just paid attention to the direction she was aiming her weapon, and where they had been standing for their look-out, probably Hana would have put the pieces together. However, Ekaterina opened her eyes wide when she saw the girl shooting her missile.

"Shit." She whispered while her gun slipped onto the ground from her hand.

"But Katja-chan, I didn't know it was you who'd shot me back there or else I would've never responded to your fire."

Hana tried to apologize for the umpteenth time since the unpleasant episode.

"You weren't suppose to block my bullet, Hana."

Ekaterina turned on her heels and moved toward their next destination, a café where she had an appointment with one of her trusted contacts.

"It was a reflex. I swear, Katja-chan, next time I won't stop it."

Ekaterina rolled her eyes.

"Why are you even following me? Didn't I tell you to leave me alone? To wait in the hotel? To find some other girl to bother with your presence?"

Hana kept on walking a few steps behind, always respecting the limit her partner had imposed.

"But we work together, Katja-chan. Besides," she sent deadly glares everywhere, "I don't want anything happening to you?"

"Like what?"

"Like all these people staring at you."

Ekaterina stopped for the second time and Hana almost bumped against her, being too concerned about the passersby's glances.

"Hana, it's not me they're staring at."

And only at that point the girl realized the scared looks on the faces of pedestrians while their eyes fell upon her persona. She checked her outfit. Everything looked tidy, so what was their problem?

"Do I have something on my face?"

Ekaterina was about to lose her nerve. She had read and re-read Hana's dossier so many times already that she knew all her missions and all the partners she'd been paired up with. She even knew of that little girl Hana had- Whatever she had done with her. It's not like Hana ever confessed what had happened during those days. Seriously, she was a lost cause. How did she even survive in the world? And why did she take her with her? She wondered it over and over again as days went on. It seemed the auburn-haired Warrior's only purpose was narrowing her down, almost sabotaging her work and, mostly, trying to harass her.

"Let's just say Rambo would pass unnoticed if compared to you."

Hana folded her arms and turned around offended. Ekaterina saw the couple of trusted bazookas on her back. Her eyes fell on her belt with various munitions, on her legs with two shining knives fastened around her thighs and then moved back up, watching the guns around her waistline. The Strategist was sure there was a flamethrower somewhere. Hana had told her so.

"You never know what might happen, Katja-chan." The girl told reasoning, "We might get attacked."

Ekaterina rubbed her temples, inhaling deeply to relax herself.

"Hana, don't you think there might be more chances to be targeted if you walk around like this? Instead of in civilian clothes?"

"So, this explain why you're dressed up like a diva."

The Strategist adjust her large sunhat and pulled out from her Gucci handbag her sunglasses, wearing them.

"I'm no diva." She threw one end of her scarf behind her back and strode away confidently.

Hana watched her darting toward the west side of the river. Ekaterina was right, she did attract lots of attention on them with her weapons, but it had been so difficult to choose which ones she would bring along for the day, almost as it had been for the youngest to pick up a bag which would match the color of her boots. The Warrior took a hard decision.

When Ekaterina heard a noisy splash she already knew what to expect.

"Hana, where are your guns?"

The girl smiled proud of herself.

"In the river with everything else."

"Smart decision. So, if we do get under attack, what would you do?"

Hana thought it through, losing gradually her good mood. When the realization of what she had done hit her, Ekaterina saw her face turning pale. Hana leaned over the parapet and observed the calm waters beneath.

_She won't-_

"Wait here, Katja-chan." The Qwaser raised a finger. "And don't talk to strangers." She concluded sternly and, with no second thought, she jumped over the bridge.

Ekaterina looked at surroundings with circumspection as she took a few steps behind her back. Now or never. And she ran off.


	4. Chapter 4

"Well well, if this isn't Ekaterina Kurae."

A black-haired, snub-nosed woman greeted her with a big smile.

Ekaterina took her sunglasses off and scanned the familiar face, aged within years. Rivers of tourists flew behind her back, and she cautiously glanced around before sitting cross-legged at the small outdoor table.

"It's been a while, Paris."

"I know." The Contact stared at the young woman in front of her while the waiter took her order. "It seems yesterday when I held you in my arms, patting your butt, hearing to your hiccups, changing your diapers, cleaning your pukes, wiping your running nose."

Ekaterina smirked back. "A very long while indeed." She glanced at a woman running in her way.

"And now you work for Athos."

The table trembled as the woman out for jogging sped up and went past the café. Somewhere, a distant sound, like fireworks.

"I offer my collaboration. I don't work for Athos."

The waiter placed her order and Ekaterina took a sip of her tea. She went on, "Now, tell me what I need to know, Paris."

Ekaterina Kurae, the kind of girl who cuts right to it. Paris remembered when she wasn't able to speak yet. If she didn't want her baby food, she would eat it all and puke it all. And she would sneer, a toothless sneer, but a sneer nonetheless.

"What's with the hurry?"

"I have my reasons."

Paris noticed her uneasiness. The Qwaser's shoulders were tensed as she did her best in making herself look smaller on the chair, sending looks out everywhere when somebody walked close by her seat. She rose an eyebrow, but preferred not to inquire.

"Dimitri Vladimirovic Shalimov. Have you ever heard of the man?" Paris clicked open her briefcase and pulled out a tablet.

"Isn't he the CEO of Shalimov Industries?"

She handed the virtual dossier over and Ekaterina ran with her fingers through it. Her smile grew larger as she read every note. She watched her Contact back. Paris returned her grin.

"He's running a fundraising dinner tonight. Two hundred people. Here's your invitation." She lifted a card. "It says you can bring a guest. I suppose you have a Warrior now. Who is he?"

"She-"

"Katja-chan!"

Ekaterina shivered as she recognized Hana's shout. She saw her running in her way, waving a hand. She pulled herself together. As the other girl approached their table, she turned her head away, ignoring the Warrior drenched from head to toe. Her eyes fell on a pigeon trying to escape from its own molester.

Hana dropped her weapons at her feet, scaring the birds away, and knelt next to Ekaterina's chair.

"Katja-chan, Katja-chan, I was so worried when I didn't see you." Her arms reached out automatically to her partner. "You didn't lose your virginity meanwhile, did you?" She made an attempt to lift the girl's skirt.

Ekaterina tried to stray her away.

"Let me go."

"No, let me check."

"I said, let me go."

"And I said, let me check first."

Hana rubbed her face against Ekaterina's chest.

"Get off, get off, get off. You're dampening me, Hana."

"But I missed you so," Ekaterina hit her with a single blow in the face, "m-ouch!"

Hana grinned and hugged her tighter. Ekaterina groaned and punched her harder. Paris blinked and watched the two Qwasers fighting against the other's stubbornness, glancing from time to time at the costumers nearby, whose attention was inevitably drawn to the weird couple. In particular, she was interested in the auburn-haired girl hanging on her friend's arm. She knew the girl.

At last, Ekaterina snapped. Hana realized she had been knocked down again, but her hand was still gripping her Strategist's wrist. Ekaterina slammed her feet on her bust.

"Katja-chan, I'm very- I'm very ticklish there." Hana squirmed.

"Let me go, pervert, let me go."

Hana began to shake so much with laughter that her grip loosened and Ekaterina was able to get free.

Still trying to calm down her breathing, Hana took a chair and placed it right next to her Strategist, sprawling herself like somebody who doesn't know what to do with her own legs. Ekaterina stood up and put some distance between them.

"So," she smiled at Paris as if nothing had happened, "what were we saying about the party?"

Hana followed her, dragging her chair along. She took Ekaterina's hand and brought it on her lap. Ekaterina punched her in the nose.

"Why did you do that, Katja-chan?" Hana rubbed the aching spot.

"Because I can't stand your face."

"Oh, I know. You're mad at me because I'm late."

"The only reason why I'm mad is because we share the same planet in the same century."

"But I had to get rid of the police."

"The police?"

Hana nodded and took a sip of Ekaterina's tea. She made a disgusted face and added a teaspoon of sugar.

"What did you do?"

"I don't know." She stirred the tea and took another sip. More sugar.

"Hana?"

"I swear, Katja-chan. I was coming here and then I had six cars on my heels. Why would you think I did something?"

"It's just a feeling that I have."

"You mean, you have feelings for me too, Katja-chan?" She hoped.

"I mean, there must be a zoo somewhere. Why don't you go there to play with the lions?"

"A zoo?" Hana stood up, euphoric. "You want to come with me?"

"Don't you see we have company, Hana?" She pointed at Paris. "I can't certainly leave her for a trip to the zoo."

Finally, Hana realized the presence of the woman glaring in her way.

"She can come with us if she leaves the young lions to me."

Ekaterina rolled her eyes.

"Hana, forget it. This is the Contact I told you about, a dear friend of mine."

"What are you looking at, Miss Contact?" Hana hissed at the woman.

"You really don't remember me, do you?"

"You know each other?" Ekaterina was as incredulous as Hana as she questioned Paris.

"We should." Paris watched the Warrior. "I'm Camille's sister."

"Camille, Camille," Hana put a hand to her chin in thought. "Oh! You mean, Camille-chan? My little Camille-chan? God, it's been so long. Three years, isn't it? Does she talk about me? Does she miss me? How is she?"

"Still under treatment."

Hana watched Paris's furious eyes and her Strategist's flabbergasted face. She looked back at the black-haired woman, and then back at her partner. Paris exchanged a perplexed look with Ekaterina. Hana cringed her forehead, moving her eyes from one girl's face to the other's. Paris raised an eyebrow in Ekaterina's way. The Qwaser shrugged her shoulders as a reply. Then, Hana broke into a laughter.

When she realized she was the only one laughing, she cleared her throat.

"Don't tell me, this isn't a staring contest, is it?"

Ekaterina sighed.

"Listen, you can stay here, but find yourself something to do. The two of us have something to discuss, okay?"

Hana nodded and sat down.

"Alright." She took a look around. "Can I count the leaves of that tree, Katja-chan?"

"Why not?"

Ekaterina snatched her cup of tea back from Hana's hands and turned to Paris.

"So, the party tonight. Do I-"

"One, two, three, four, five, five, five, five, fiv-"

"Six." Said Ekaterina.

"Six," said Hana. "Seven, eight, nive."

"Nine."

"Nine, ten, eleven, tvelve, tree-"

"Hana, can you even count?"

Hana crossed her arms on her chest and turned her head away with a frown.

"Mafuyu says I need to do more practice, and when I've got a little spare time that's what I do."

"I didn't know she was like this." Paris leaned towards Ekaterina. "I mean, I had figured she must have some kind of trouble up here." She tapped her own head. "But I would have never imagined she would be 'this' troubled."

They both watched the girl as she resumed her counting on her fingers.

"Anyway," Ekaterina thought it would be better to get back on topic now that Hana was distracted. "You were saying about the party?"

"It'll be held at Mr. Shalimov's Residence, just outside the city, you've got the address with the invitation. It's a two floors villa with wings." She showed some 3D pictures of the plan of the building. "His study is on the second floor, the fourth door down the hallway, on the right. Guests will be arriving at 9 p.m. I suppose there will be guards in civilian clothes. Of course, you don't need me to tell you that but, mind it, some of them might be women and-"

Paris stopped in mid-sentence. Ekaterina saw the Contact's attention was focused on her left, right on her partner. She turned to Hana. The girl was winking and sending kisses out. She looked at the object of her interest. A family out of a picture-postcard sitting not too far: a mother feeding her baby; a father sipping his drink and flipping through a newspaper; a little girl with a dripping ice-cream. The little girl's muzzle was splattered with chocolate as she stared back at a certain woman, lapping at her ice-cream with a big smile and rosy cheeks. Ekaterina watched Hana. The Qwaser was now making signs with her hands. You. Me. Later. Licking more ice-cream. The little girl giggled and nodded cheerfully. Hana licked her lips.

"Hana?"

Hana understood Ekaterina must have caught her, and she smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry, Katja-chan, I only love you."

The Strategist peered again at the little girl, who was sticking her tongue out at her.

"Weren't you counting the leaves, pervert?"

Hana shrugged.

"I don't know what comes after ninety-nine."

"One hundred."

"One hundred?"

"One hundred and one."

"One hundred and one?"

"One hundred and two."

"One hundred and two?"

"One hundred and three."

"One hundred and- Hey, isn't there a quicker way, Katja-chan?"

"103."

In that moment, Paris's pager ringed in her pocket. The Contact checked her call and stood up.

"Are you leaving already?"

"I'm sorry." Paris said with a bit of sorrow to Ekaterina. "I wish I could stay longer but, you know, I'm a wanted woman in this country too. It was good to see you, though." She glanced at Hana, who was inspecting a leaking gun. "Tell me if she gives you any problem. I know some Italians who owe me a favor or two." She whispered only for the Strategist's ears.

"Don't worry about that. She's a harmless idiot."

"Oh, damn! My flamethrower doesn't work anymore." Hana turned to Ekaterina. "Katja-chan, look."

She aimed the barrel at her Strategist and pulled on the trigger.

"See?"

Click. Click.

"Nothing"

Click. Click.

Ekaterina grasped the barrel and pointed the mouth at the sky.

" 'The Hell are you doing?"

Hana sneered, unlatched the safety catch and shot.

Paris startled, and all the costumers turned to their table when a giant blaze burned above Ekaterina's head. In a rush, everybody flew out of the place. The waiters ran inside the café and locked the doors. Only some tourists stopped by, thinking it was another attraction. Hana ceased the fire.

"And that's how much you turn me on, Katja-chan."

Ekaterina jumped on her. She straddled Hana's waist and drove her own gun straight into the girl's mouth.

"Stop this, bitch." And she shot.

* * *

><p><span>Ritz Hotel , 7:00 p.m.<span>

* * *

><p>Ekaterina ran through her dresses in the walk-in closet. As agent of Athos, she had many privileges, one being the expensive-looking hotel she could stay at. After all, most missions led Qwasers to wild territories where they had to live on nothing. Therefore, Athos made sure its agents had the best accommodation possible when they were somewhere urbanized.<p>

She took a cheap, classic, black dress, and imagined how it would look on her.

"Coco," she caressed the silk, "you sure had me on your mind when you designed this."

The TV was on in the master bedroom, but she was paying it no attention.

"I'm sure our dear host will 'approve' my choice." She mused and put the dress down on an armchair before heading to the shoe cupboard. "Well now, let's see which one of you is gonna have the privilege to be worn by my feet tonight."

"This video was filmed by an anonymous passerby. The suspected terrorist is still at large. If anybody has any information on her whereabouts, please contact the Police Department."

Ekaterina heard the journalist speaking. Out of curiosity, she walked closer to the screen, where she saw Hana struggling to stay afloat in the river, slowly drowning under everybody's eyes. A voice, "Somebody help her! She can't swim." Then, Hana disappeared under the surface. The camera filmed the many men and women leaning over the parapet. All of sudden, there was an explosion in the waters. One girl screamed, "Look at that!". Hana was raising to the sky with a bazooka in her hand. She landed among her drenched public, put down the weapon and jumped back. Again, they watched her struggling, sinking and again, an explosion. Hana put down another bazooka and dived back in. A new explosion, more showers. Hana dropped her guns. Over and over again. Jumping, struggling, sinking, explosion. People began to applaud with every rescued weapon. The police had been called, but the agents couldn't walk through the crowd surrounding the Qwaser. Finally, Hana realized everybody was cheering for her, complimenting her, patting her back. Hana was happy. Hana couldn't hold in her happiness. Hana grabbed the first little girl within her reach.

When they separated, the little girl sobbed off. Hana raised her arms victoriously "Yay me", but nobody cheered anymore. Nobody patted her back anymore. Nobody complimented her anymore. Hana was sad. Everybody was really pissed off, Hana could tell. She collected her stuff. Then, Hana jumped over the bridge before everybody could jump on Hana.

Ekaterina turned off the TV and headed back to closet. She took a leather belt and walked to the bathroom.

Hana was in the tub, giggling to herself and playing with the water, making spurts with her hands and catching with her mouth as many as she could. As she noticed the Strategist on the threshold, she laid down, leaving her head just an inch above the surface.

"Katja-chan, I can make you come like this."

She took a mouthful of water and squirted it with a long jet.

Ekaterina sat on the toilet by the bath.

"Why Hana?"

Spurt.

"How many times did you fall from your stroller?"

Spurt. Spurt.

Ekaterina looped her belt.

"Here, insert your head here."

Hana saw the slipknot in her hands.

"I've told you, Katja-chan, I'm not into S&M."

"Me neither, pervert. I just want to kill you."

"If I let you kill me, can we have sex later?"

"Of course."

"Really? You're not joking, right? 'cause I'm still waiting for that peck you promised me in Thailand."

"I'm not joking, don't worry."

"Cool, I'm dying to have sex with you."

Hana turned around and waited for Ekaterina to fasten the belt around her neck.

"We'll get there."

The Strategist pulled one strap.

"Should it be this tight, Katja-chan?"

Ekaterina placed a foot on Hana's back and pushed her forward.

"Are you dying?"

"Not yet."

"You know," Ekaterina jolted harder, "this feels surprisingly good."

"It's. Quite hard. To breathe, though." Hana whimpered.

"It means you're doing well."

Hana's head bounced back and forth, and she coughed.

"Hana?"

"A-almost t-there."

Ekaterina didn't relent her grip.

"Well?"

No answer.

"Don't play dead, pervert, I'm not letting you out of this."

Only when Hana fell face down in the water did Ekaterina release her. She pulled herself together and brushed her locks aside as she stared at her partner's lifeless body. Hana might be bullet-proof, but nobody lives without oxygen. She walked to the sink and watched her flushed reflection in the large mirror. Her eyes fell again on Hana. She moved back to her corpse, grasped her hair and pulled her back, inching down upon her face to check for any breath. Hana's longest spurt hit her straight in her eyes.

Ekaterina didn't move away, but waited until the girl was finished without batting an eyelid.

"I made you wet, Katja-chan." Hana grinned sheepishly.

Ekaterina wiped a drop off her eye.

"Can we have sex now?"

"Sure, pervert." She smiled, "Wait here. I'm gonna get ready for you." and she left the room with a wink.

Hana chuckled to herself and resumed her water plays. As she was about to catch another spurt, she heard a familiar fizz. She turned around warily.

Ekaterina shot with a bazooka.

* * *

><p><span>Shalimov's Residence, 11:30 p.m<span>

* * *

><p>She checked the old pendulum. Hana had left for the restroom half an hour before and she had taken advantage of it as soon as the Warrior had exited the lounge room. She had sneaked upstairs to the second floor of the villa. Thanks to her young age and her sweet smile, her figure hadn't alarmed the guards on duty, but Ekaterina knew the real reason why they had let her in Mr. Shalimov's study so easily.<p>

And now she was back, empty-handed. Of course, she should have known. Nobody keeps files on secret anti-government organizations on his PC. She stared at her charming target talking to some women. She would need the guy himself.

"Man, restrooms will be the death of me."

Hana made her appearance next to her and snatched her drink from her hand. She tasted it, made a sick face, spit it back and returned the flute to Ekaterina. Ekaterina just took a one new.

Three women crossed in front of them, all waving a hand and smiling flirtatiously at the Warrior.

"Salut, Hana."

"Alla prossima, Hana."

"Es war mir eine Freude, Hana."

Hana lifted her thumbs up.

"The cat is on the table."

Ekaterina choked on her champagne.

"The cat is on the table?"

Hana shrugged and took a hors-d'œuvres from a tray.

"It's the only foreign thing I know."

The Strategist watched the three women swaying their hips more than necessary.

"Mmh, fish."

The Warrior moaned in appreciation and licked the caviar off the bread.

"Hana, we're on a mission. You can't go around and 'entertain' yourself."

"Who? Me? I'm not the one who's been staring at the same guy since we got here."

"He's our target, Hana."

"That dandy?"

"You didn't read the dossier I left you at the hotel, did you?"

"I ran out of toilet paper again."

The younger Qwaser took a more needed sip.

"Dimitri Vladimirovic Shalimov, fifty-two, CEO of Shalimov Pharmacy Industries, a philanthropist with a charismatic personality. However, few know he occupies a more lucrative role as a weapons, organs and drug smuggler. His Empire has seen a huge growth in the last year." She mused. "A very suspicious growth."

"I don't like growth. Growth is bad."

"You bet, Hana. There's no way somebody can run an Empire as his without gaining the attention of the media, or Big U.N.O.'s eye. Not if you don't have someone else looking after your business. To name one, the Adepts."

"I like UNO. UNO is funny."

"Hana, what did I just say about our target?"

Hana guessed.

"He doesn't like UNO, but he's into Age of Empires. I'm more of a Killzone player or Call of Duty, but I never get past through the first mission. By the way, wouldn't it be cool if you could scream 'Medic' and have somebody heal your ass for real? When I play with Mafuyu, she always runs after Sasha's. Next time, why don't you play with us and make me feel good?"

Ekaterina was speechless.

"Just kidding, Katja-chan." She grinned. "You said the dandy knows the Adepts, but you used too many words."

The Strategist was even more dumb struck.

"Say something, Katja-chan. Come on, didn't you like to talk? Like, talking a lot?"

Still no answer.

"You want me to check if you've still got your tongue? I have to tell you, I forgot to wash my hands." She smelled her fingers. "Alright, this one smells like the noisy girl who said too many 'A's and 'O's. The right hand," she checked it again to be sure, "has got the flavor of that girl who can make you wet your panties with her Ja's. And, if you want me to kiss you, you'll taste-"

"Have you finished yet?"

Hana tried to hug her, happy that Katja-chan wasn't broken. The Qwaser stepped back.

"Where do you think you're touching?"

The Warrior chuckled.

"Seriously, Hana. Let's get this over with."

Ekaterina turned around and looked for the man in the crowd.

"You have a plan, Katja-chan?"

"We're gonna use his weakness against him."

"What weakness?"

"Apparently, he's got a fondness for little girls."

Hana darkened.

"How do you want me to kill him?"

"I don't want you to kill him."

"Say what?"

Ekaterina dragged the Warrior away. The place wasn't discreet enough, and she led Hana to a dark corner of the lounge, behind red curtains. She pushed her against the wall, entrapping the girl between a large window, the curtains and her own body.

"You wanna get naughty at the party, Katja-chan?"

Hana bent forward like a gorilla about to kiss.

"Listen pervert. I won't let you jeopardize this, you hear me?"

"No jeopardize. So, how do I kill him?"

"Hana, we don't kill him. We find a way to isolate him and get what we need to know. Roger?"

"Rabbit. Can I kill him, then?"

"Jeez, why do you want to kill him so badly?"

Hana pouted her lips and drew circles with her foot on the floor.

"Because he touches little girls, and I don't like competition. So, can I kill him?"

"We... we'll see about that. First, we have to find something to use as a decoy. Or better somebody." She smirked.

"Like a little girl?"

"My point. Did you find your brain instruction?"

Her first compliment. Hana sparkled.

"Alright, I'll do it."

"Hana, you're not a little girl."

"Then, where do you think we can find one?" She inched aside a curtain and peeped around. "I haven't seen any." She was sincerely worried. She would have spent those hours with them, instead of falling back on more 'seasoned' alternatives.

"Pervert, what do I look like?"

"Edible."

"Where is the cat, Hana?"

"The cat is on the table."

"Good, why don't you go looking for it?"

Ekaterina turned on her heels, ready to head back.

"Katja-chan, wait."

Hana walked over her. She understood. Like any woman, Katja-chan loved to give out her un-called-for statements and suggestions. Reason why she thought her partner would be more than happy to hear her asking for her help.

"What table should I start from?"

Ekaterina pushed her forcefully back.

"So, you really wanna get naughty."

Hana grinned and moved her hands to touch her. Ekaterina grabbed her wrists.

"Listen, fucking idiot."

The Warrior twisted her wrists and freed herself, grasping Ekaterina's. The Strategist stepped violently on her feet. Hana shifted her hands down on her butt.

"Take. Your. Hands. Off. My. Ass." The Qwaser hissed coldly.

"Hey, where are your panties?"

Ekaterina slapped her.

"Katja-chan, you didn't have to do that."

She slapped her again.

Hana sneered and groped her for good. Ekaterina snapped badly.

When they came out, they both had flushed cheeks. Ekaterina walked confidently to their host while Hana reeled to the closest steady table and leaned against it, watching her partner moving across the room. She pulled herself together and examined her fingers. They still worked. Then, as her Strategist approached their target, she casually, but inevitably, turned to the table.

There's just something that no straight woman, no straight guy, no lesbian, no gay, no bisexual, no 'in-transition', no 'transition accomplished', no 'I'm not into labels', no 'Who cares what you're not into' can deny. Something that has been with you since the very first moment you popped out with your head between your mama's legs. Something that was there when your parents gave you a colored plastic box with six different holes and you picked up a cylinder and tried to insert it into the star-like hole. Something that follows you as you grow up, when you eat, when you sit on a toilet, when you wear your clothes, when you kiss, when you make love. Something that is there in the many and little things of your life, when you're out for groceries and you see packages of paper towels on the racks, when you plug in your electrical devices. Something that catches you unprepared.

It begins with a certain curiosity. Your fingers quiver along your body and your mouth gets watery and your tongue rubs against your palate. And you pretend to ignore it. Hana remembered Ekaterina's words, 'Wait for my signal', but there's nothing you can do. As your arm reaches out and you take it, you see it losing its shape because of your fingers' soft squeezing. And you drool, like the baby you still are. Then, as you turn it upside down, you finally realize It. You finally feel It. That primitive, irresistible, seductive need of Filling Holes.

Hana brought the cream puff to her mouth, her tongue immediately lapping at the overflowing cream before sinking into its sugary core. She sucked the filling out as fast and as noisily as she could. Then, she dropped it and took one new.

Five minutes later, Ekaterina saw Hana darting out of the room, leaving a table of empty pastries behind her back.

"Are you enjoying yourself, Miss Kurae?"

She faced her target. The man was smiling and sipping champagne.

"Quite, Mr. Shalimov."

"I understand. Being the only girl to an all-adults party must be uncomfortable"

"I am old enough to make my entry into society."

"May I say you seem very young."

"I am not young, I'm ten."

"Ten."

He tasted the sharp sweetness of her age on his tongue.

Ekaterina took a sip of her drink to hide a sneer. Everything was going smoothly. Soon he would make up an excuse to lead her toward an isolated place.

"What about your parents? Where are they?"

"Father must be talking business. As for my mother," she looked around and set her eyes on a blond single lady she had talked to while Hana demonstrated her theories on why people have ten fingers inside the restroom. As if called by her staring, the woman turned around. "She's over there."

"I see."

He lifted his glass eye-level and cheered with a welcoming, but confident smile to his guest.

My, if eyes can flatter with a look, Ekaterina thought. But, as his eyes caressed her neck and trailed down her chest, she sensed there was so much more that they could do. She purposely let a dribble of her cocktail escape from her lips. The man took his handkerchief out of his pocket.

"Here, let me wipe that for you."

Ekaterina tilted her head and parted her lips slightly. Her flushed cheeks and her hooded eyes did the trick. Her host felt a chill running down his back, and when something goes down, something else...

Ekaterina ignored the glimpse of life in his pants and made a bored face.

"This society is not as interesting as I thought."

"I must confess, I do feel bored myself."

"At your own party?"

He repressed the urge to smell the damp spot on his handkerchief and folded it back.

"I know these people. There's nothing new, if you know what I mean."

"I am new, Mr. Shalimov."

"You can call me Dimitri, Katja."

"Dimitri."

She smiled kindly.

"Would you like to go for a walk, then? I'd be honored to show you my humble place."

"I'd love to."

"Please," he bowed and showed her the way, "ladies first."

Ekaterina said nothing and turned around, presenting him with her plunging V-shaped décolettage and giving him a good reason to always keep himself behind her.


End file.
